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What It's Like to Live With Trauma That No One Sees

Just another day of surviving C-PSTD. Everything looks good on the outside. But on the inside, my stomach is twisted, my nervous system is barely functioning from overuse, and my soul is deeply exhausted.

The other day I was triggered by an employee at the DMV who did nothing but her job. I spiraled hard that day, I screamed and cried for hours. It wasn't just about the missing paperwork. It was the fact that I was never guided on how to do life or how to navigate adulthood. So every time I come face to face with a obstacle, and it doesn't pan out - Triggered.

First, I feel the weight hit my chest, then my stomach starts to churn. Tears are inevitable. But it's not just sadness. It's blinding hot rage and anger. I went home and collapsed into screams and sobs. At one point, I yelled at the photos of my departed mother, I find it harder to feel empathy for her with each passing day. It's hard to describe what I'm feeling on the inside or what it's like to heal from everything I experienced, so I'll try, it's word vomit, plus real vomit with a tidal wave of emotions with only one way out. Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion. My afternoon naps - those are the only times I really sleep. At night, the real demons come. In the dark. Where the other monsters reside.

Healing is a rollercoaster in my life. One minute I would be perfectly fine. The next - chaos.

I've learned this: healing is step by step. You define what that looks like.

I've noticed a pattern: first the emotions explode, then I sit. Then my mind starts sorting the facts. I need timelines,. Logic. The 5 W's: who, what, when, where, why.Eventually both sides of me - the emotional and the logical - meet. I can begin to co-exist with what happened. In the present and the past. Because once the emotional attachment releases, it's just a fact about me. And facts can't hurt me the way memories do.

I remind myself daily, I am not broken, I am merely carrying more weight than anyone should. About this post... these words... I've held them in my soul far too long.

To the reader that made it this far, I see you and I see your pain. I hope that you find what's been missing and reclaim it as your own.

#CPTSD #healingjourney #TraumaRecovery #MentalHealth #youarenotalone

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Living with Depression

Hi everyone, I’m new here. I live with depression, which can make even simple days feel heavy and hard. I’m learning to take things slowly and find small moments of light. Looking forward to connecting and supporting each other. 💙

#Depression #MentalHealth #youarenotalone

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Learning to Cope with Anxiety

Hi everyone! I’m new here and wanted to share that I live with anxiety. Some days are tough, with racing thoughts and overwhelming worries, but I’m learning ways to cope and take things one step at a time. Looking forward to connecting and supporting each other. 💙

#Anxiety #MentalHealth ##youarenotalone YouAreNotAlone

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Living with PTSD

Hi everyone, I’m new here. I live with PTSD, which affects many parts of my life—especially my sleep and how I handle stress. It’s a daily challenge, but I’m learning to cope and find support along the way. Looking forward to connecting with others who understand. 💙

#PTSD #MentalHealth #youarenotalone

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Finding Strength in BPD

Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a daily challenge—full of intense emotions, fears of abandonment, and struggles with self-worth. Some days feel overwhelming, but I’m learning to be kinder to myself and take one step at a time.

Therapy, self-care, and this community have helped me find hope and tools to manage the chaos. If you’re also navigating BPD, know you’re not alone.

#BPD #MentalHealth #BPDCommunity #youarenotalone

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Awake When the World Sleeps

Insomnia feels like a constant battle—lying awake while the world sleeps, my mind refusing to quiet down. Some nights are harder than others, but I’m learning to be gentle with myself through it all. If you’re awake too, you’re not alone. 🌙

#InsomniaStruggles #sleeplessnights ##youarenotalone YouAreNotAlone

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From Missionary Kid to Survivor

Growing up as a missionary kid in the IFB church shaped much of who I was—for better and for worse. The strict rules, the fear-based teachings, and the pressure to always appear “perfect” left deep scars. Leaving that world behind has been both freeing and painful.

Religious trauma isn’t always visible, but it affects how we see ourselves and the world. Healing is a slow journey, but sharing our stories helps. If you’re also healing from religious trauma, know you’re not alone. There is hope beyond the fear.

Thank you to this community for being a place of understanding and support. 💙

#ReligiousTraumaSurvivor #MissionaryKid #IFB #healingjourney #youarenotalone

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The Truth They Didn’t See

It’s easy to fool people when they only see what you want them to.
He knew how to smile in public, how to be charming in a crowd.
He even carried the title of minister.
But behind closed doors, he was violent, controlling, and cruel.

He didn’t just raise his voice—he raised his hands.
He didn’t just make mistakes—he made threats.
He tried to break me in every way: emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

I lived in survival mode—walking on eggshells, never knowing what would set him off.
I endured insults, intimidation, destruction, betrayal, and worse.
He didn’t just hurt me—he damaged things you can’t see.
And he hurt his children, too.

But here’s what he didn’t destroy:
My spirit.
My strength.
My voice.

For a long time, I stayed quiet—not because I was weak, but because I was trying to survive.
Now I speak not for attention, but for freedom.
Because I know there’s someone out there living this reality in silence, wondering if they’ll ever feel whole again.

I want you to know:
You are not alone.
You are not to blame.
And you are not what they tried to reduce you to.

Healing is messy. It’s painful. But it’s possible.
I’m still healing. But I’m standing.
And I’m not hiding anymore.

#survivorstrong #behindcloseddoors #stillhealing #fallinlovewithyourself #youarenotalone #HerVoiceHasRisen

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How “El Muchacho de los Ojos Tristes,” Revived by Selena Gomez, Held My Melancholia—And Made Me Feel Again.

There’s a kind of sadness that wraps itself around you like a velvet fog—soft, lingering, impossible to shake. I’d been moving through that fog quietly, unsure of whether I was feeling too much or not enough.

Then I heard Selena Gomez’s revival of “El Muchacho de los Ojos Tristes.” I’d never heard the original, but this song carried something eerily familiar. It didn’t just play—it echoed. It held me. It stirred something quiet and buried, a sorrow I didn’t realize was still awake inside me.

I’ve felt this before—through music that presses its hand to your chest like it’s trying to resuscitate something. This one did exactly that. It brought up unlived emotions—sentimientos compartidos—grief I didn’t know was mine but somehow felt like it belonged to me. The kind of sorrow that doesn’t ask permission—it just rises.

Since I started listening to it, melancholia has settled over me. Not just sadness—but something deeper. That slow ache that lives in your chest like a ghost of something you never had but still mourn.

I spoke to a friend about it. She said I was experiencing depression. I told her it felt like something else—something heavier, more haunting. I called it melancholia. She brushed it off, said it was all the same. But I disagreed.

Depression is absence. Numbness.

Melancholia is presence. Longing.

It’s grief laced with beauty. Pain that almost feels sacred. It’s nostalgia for a moment in time that doesn’t exist. A hunger for something you can’t name, only feel.

This song didn’t fix me. But it did something else.

It reminded me—I still have a pulse.

I’m still here. Still aching. Still hoping for something. A glance. A connection. A sign that I haven’t disappeared under the surface of my own silence.

I said this to someone:

“I feel like I am the girl with the sad eyes. Diving deeper and deeper into a melancholic state, wanting so badly to find a spark. I want my heart to be shocked back to life.”

And they told me:

“You’re not lost. You’re becoming.”

So this is me—becoming.

Still tender. Still searching. But no longer asleep.

There’s a spark out there. I don’t know what it looks like yet. But I know I want to feel it.

I used to not understand my cousin when she’d listen to sad songs while feeling low. I thought it was like pouring water on a drowning heart. But now I understand. Sometimes the saddest songs are the only ones that know how to hold us.

So if you're reading this and you feel it too, know this: You are not alone. There is no shame in aching. No weakness in longing. Feeling deeply means your heart is still beating.

Let it ache if it must. Let it rise. And when you're ready, follow the faintest flicker of hope. Even if it's just a breath. Even if it's just a song.

You're not lost.

You're becoming.

And somewhere ahead of you—maybe just beyond this fog—there’s a spark.

And this time, it’s for you.

💓💓💓

If this resonated with you, like, share and comment. We weren’t meant to feel this alone.

#melancholia #MentalHealthAwareness #Stillhere #emotionalhealing #youarenotalone #healingthroughfeeling #theacheandthehope #griefandgrowth #musicheals #SelenaGomez #elmuchachodelosojostristes #musicandmentalhealth #becomingnotbroken #quietstrength #louderthansadness #letitrise #melancholia #Stillhere #MentalHealth #mentalhealthmatters #Grief #elmuchachodelosojostristes

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The Scapegoat’s Lament

Lies upon lies, deception upon deception —

Secrets buried beneath secrets, a layered infection.

Crimes whispered in corners, dark shadows roam,

While the innocent are told to suffer alone.

They call it family, call it love,

But what god above could watch from above?

To silence a soul with a single demand —

"Stay quiet, stay loyal, don’t bite the hand."

But loyalty isn’t the cage they built,

It’s a noose made of gaslight, resentment, and guilt.

And silence — they say it brings peace —

But the truth screams louder, it will never cease.

They sharpen their words like blades in the night,

But it’s the scapegoat’s blood that’s bathed in their spite.

A sacrifice, bound and spun on the flame —

Laughed at, discarded, yet burdened with blame.

They drink and they feast as I burn in their view —

A ritual of torment, the role I outgrew.

But still, I’m served up on a platter of shame —

My suffering their comfort, my pain their game.

"Choose life," they sneer, "But live it our way."

Or bow to the devil, let morals decay.

But I’d rather be pierced by a thousand cruel lies —

Than live in a world where the righteous disguise.

Because freedom’s no gift from the hands of the damned —

It’s claimed by the broken who dare make a stand.

And if I must fall for the truth to survive —

Then let it be known, I lived — truly alive.

No martyr, no savior, no saint in disguise —

Just a soul who refused to be swallowed by lies.

So strike if you must — but remember this cry —

The scapegoat you slaughter will rise from the sky.

#scapegoatsurvivor #healingjourne #healingjourney #survivorpoetry #emotionalhealin g #frompaintopower #soulhealing #TraumaRecovery #poeticexpressio n#MentalHealthAwareness #strengthenwithin #healingthroughword #ReclaimYourPower #boundariesmatter #EmotionalFreedom #healingispossible #youarenotalone